Not a Mormon
by I Forget
Summary: Hi! Anybody miss me? No? Nuts. Ah well, poem #2 was inspired from when I was pondering whether or not I desrve to call myself a Christian. For reasons explained at the end of the poem, I don't think I do. What's your opinion?
1. Not a Mormon

Why can't I have your blessing?  
Why wont you accept my choice?  
I'm getting baptized yet you think  
I'm only heeding the Devils voice.  
  
You insist that you're a Christian  
I'm getting baptized in a Christian church  
but since this church isn't Mormon  
it's evil, according to your research.   
  
Funny, I thought you said Mormons are Christians  
yet now you expose that not to be true  
still, you continue to believe the Mormon lies  
preach not to me, my mind you can't screw.  
  
Haven't given Mormonism a fair chance?  
Hello, Mormon is how I was raised to be  
but your religion made me feel like I was in a cage  
being a Christian has set my spirit free.   
  
I see your anger and know that you are hurt  
I'm sorry to have caused you so much pain  
if we can't agree let's agree to disagree  
as your attempts to re-convert me are all in vain.  
  
I'm sorry daddy, but I'm a child no more  
your little baby girl has grown up and matured   
my life is now for me alone, not the things you say  
I'll always love you, but my choice wont be obscured.  
  
~*~  
  
My dad's a Mormon, and I was raised in a Mormon church. A lot has happened to me and I've changed churches as a result. I'll be getting baptized in a Christian church on Easter Sunday. Originally, I wasn't going to tell my dad, but a friend convinced me that I should, so I did. He didn't take the news that well. Thankfully, I didn't get kicked out of my house. I think you understand the rest of the situation from the poem. Maybe, you can relate to my situation, maybe not. I wish you luck if you can though. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read and I hope this hasn't bored you too much. Yeah. 


	2. Truly a Christian?

You know I'm not a Mormon,

so I have a different surprise.

I'm not exactly a Christian either,

could that be shock I see in your eyes?

Yes, you heard me right, but wait,

there's no need to scream or shout.

I have good reason to feel like this,

please, be patient and hear me out!

But first, take a long, deep breath,

there's no need for you to have a fit.

I'd love to be titled a Christian,

just not until after I've earned it.

The word 'Christian' means 'mini-Christ,'

that's a title I have no right to bear.

I'm nowhere near being that good,

to call myself a Christian would be unfair.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe,

I'll be following Christ till the end.

I'm still a part of the body, the church,

Jesus Christ is still my best friend.

A/N; I realize that this poem may be confusing to some people, so I'm going to try and explain what I mean. I've been doing a lot of reading, and what I've read has made me doubt whether or not I really have the right to say I'm a Christian. Of all the scriptures that I've heard quoted in Church, or have read on my own, not once have I seen the followers of Christ be labeled as Christians. At least, not in the King James Version which I have repeatedly been told is the most accurate translation in the English language. They (followers in the Bible) were called, and referred to themselves as; Believers, Followers, Bond-Servants, Slaves, and members of the Body. I read elsewhere that the Followers were so devoted and were trying so hard to be like Christ that they began to be called 'Christians' (meaning mini-Christ). They did everything they could to help others and treated others as they themselves would want to be treated, in my opinion they really did deserve to be called Christians. Me, on the other hand... well, I'm not a horrible person, but I'm not what anyone would call a mini-Christ either. I listen to some really crude music, watch R rated movies, read and write fiction that is definitely not what I should be writing/reading. I don't drink to get drunk, but I can't seem to make myself say 'No thanks' when someone offers me a beer. I try to stop myself from using crude language, but when my non-Christian friends use it when I'm with them, the words just slip through my lips, I can't seem to stop it. These are habits that Christ wouldn't have gotten into and until I'm strong enough to break free of them, I don't feel I should call myself a Christian. I hope that I haven't confused you too much, I still believe in the Christian faith, I am following Christ, I just don't consider myself to be strong enough yet to call myself a mini-Christ. Do you understand what I mean? If not, feel free to e-mail any questions to me and I'll try again to clear things up.

Ok, this next part is for anyone who wanted to know how my baptism went. If you're not interested and reviewed the last chapter, please scroll down and you'll find that I've posted a reply for you. If you're not interested and didn't review the last chapter before I posted this one, please scroll down and leave a review telling me what you think, and e-mail me any questions you have, my e-mail address is at the bottom of the page. If you're interested about the baptism and wish I'd stop rambling, thank you for your patience. 

My baptism went really well! The weather was perfect, and my mom even came to watch, though my dad refused. A man who's a good friend of mine was the speaker, and the songs he selected for us to sing were great! There was another woman being baptized that day and we had talked about what to wear for the occasion before the big day. We were both baptized wearing black clothes with a white shirt underneath, to kind of symbolize a light in the darkness, you know? I was the first one to be baptized, I was nervous about going first... nervous enough that when I walked into the baptismal font I stood in the wrong spot. The Elder who was baptizing me had to make me move to a spot where I wouldn't risk hitting my head, then we had a brief debate because I had forgotten to take off my glasses-I was nervous! When he asked me if I accepted Jesus as my God and Savoir, I was filled with so much joy that I could barely say 'yes.' When I went under the water (thankfully, it was nice and warm) it felt as though loving arms were wrapping themselves around me. I know that it was just water and I was only under for a second, but it felt like I was under for a lot longer. It honestly doesn't matter to me whether or not you'll believe this but, I know that the Holy Spirit was there with me, and it was the greatest feeling in the world. After the other woman was baptized, we gave each other a HUGE hug. We were both shivering from the cool air but instead of getting changed right away we both ran over to join our friends for the last songs of the service. We sung two songs, which the Elders had allowed me to choose. The first song was All I Once Held Dear (AKA: Knowing You, Jesus) and the other was Lamb Of God... I chose these songs because they both are special to me. After that we got changed and when I was in dry clothes again I discovered that the bathroom was crowded, all my friends who had been able to make it for my baptism were standing there, waiting for me to come out to give me a hug and say congratulation, it was sweet! I was given two new bibles (two of my closest friends bought one while my other two really close friends got me another... it was really funny seeing the looks on their faces when they realized what had happened). One of my good friends gave me a sweet card with a gold plated bookmark for my bible... a few other people gave me great cards as well. One lady, she's SUPER nice, gave me Jake's 'Army of Love' CD, it's really good and I highly recommend that you check it out if you have a the chance. Someone else (I'm horrible at remembering names) gave me a book, 'The Prayer of Jabez' by; Bruce Wilkinson. I haven't had enough time to read it yet, but it looks like an awesome book! One other lady, whom I love and respect very much, gave me a head-covering and a book called 'Glories seen & unseen, a study of the head coverings' by; Warren Henderson... methinks she was trying to give me a hint, as I don't believe in wearing them. I haven't had the time to read it yet, and I still don't wear a head-covering. I'm thinking about wearing it before I leave for college though... I haven't decided yet. Later, at the evening service, it was Praise & Worship night, REALLY good music! When the band asked us if there was any favorites we wanted to sing I was able to chose the other song I really wanted to sing, called King Of Love. I was on a spiritual high for months after that... it was definitely the best day of my life and I treasure the memory, it's one I pray I'll never forget. 

~***Ok, now for those of you who had reviewed the previous chapter***~

Kat; Thank you! *Hugs* You're a really sweet person! 

Keita; Wow, good luck with your parents! Lol, no, I'm not a Wicca-hater. Before I even had any Christian friends I was interested in Wicca. I probably would have become a Wiccan myself, but I had a really scary experience with it when I began to practice it and I was too scared to continue. I tried to, it looked really cool, but I just couldn't do it. Lol, that's really funny analogy, I loved it! I knew about the broom already as while I don't practice Wicca, I do enjoy studying some of the practice's. I'm really interested about the meditations used, the rituals that are still practiced, I love learning about the Tarot cards, and reading about spells and stuff is always fascinating! I find it some-what interesting reading about the different gods even though I don't believe in them in the same way those who practice the religion do. The recipes in Herbals look good too. If you want to talk to me at all about Wicca, feel free to e-mail me, I love hearing about it! Oh, and no, this is not me attempting to 'convert' you, I'm just really curious about the practice. If you do e-mail me, would you mind telling me some of the meditations used to connect with nature? I used to love doing that, but I've forgotten how I used to do it. I'm hoping the meditations may help me to remember. Anyway, thanks for sharing so much with me in your review!

K2; Thanks a lot! It's easy for me to understand how Mormonism and Christianity are separate, but I can definitely see how to a person with different beliefs it'd be a little difficult to understand. If you have any questions, you're welcome to e-mail me! Thanks for taking the time to review. 

Anifan1; Thank you SO MUCH, I hope my dad will learn the truth one of these days, there's always hope! I go to a small bible chapel, a brethren church. Sure, e-mail me whenever you want! I LOVE getting e-mail! My mom... she'd support me no matter what religion I follow, but with the multi religions in my house... she copes by remaining neutral, she supports all of us and doesn't take sides. I hope I can be like that someday... she's great.

Rhysel Ash; Thanks a lot, I hope he comes around someday... I was baptized in a brethren bible chapel, it was great! 

Fion; I really glad that you liked the poem! I'll pray for you and your family, as Mormons they don't realize that they have 'scales over their eyes' but I've seen and experienced enough to know that they do. I pray that they may look past what they are taught in church and seek to learn the truth. It was no biggie telling my mom, she doesn't follow any religion, but it was a challenge telling my dad. I've heard of that book, but I haven't seen it anywhere! However, I have found, and am currently reading another book called 'What do Mormons REALLY believe?' by John Ankerberg & John Weldon, it's got a lot of facts, I recommend checking it out if you have the time. It's a bit boring, but has a lot of information. Love the scripture! And hey, if you want to e-mail me go for it! We can exchange stories of our experiences with Mormons, if you want!

Blackflame28; Hi! I'm glad that you enjoyed my poem! I happy that you haven't faced this problem with your parents, I hope you'll never need to. Yup, you made perfect sense! Thanks for reading and taking time to review!

Molly Gingerich; Aw, thanks! I'm really happy that you like it, thanks for the SWEET review! You rock!

Okami-Chan; Sorry that my poem offended you, but you were warned that it might. *Offers a Kleenex* As for me being rude... compared to what my dad and the Mormon bishop said to me, I was being extremely polite. As for what I said about Mormons, compared to what I've heard Mormons say about Christians I was being kind. Ah well, thanks for taking the time to review.

Miyo; Thanks a lot! Yeah, my dad's reaction sucks, but others have had it WAY worse than me! Some people get kicked out of their homes and shunned by their Mormon friends and family members for converting to a different faith! Compared to them, I had it easy. I hope someday my dad will know God's peace as I do, God Bless!

Cloud; Hey! I'm glad that you understand! Yeah, I wish things with my dad had gone better, but it could have been a LOT worse. Thanks for reviewing, and thanks also for your prayers! I read your bio page and I'm REALLY excited to see that you live in Iowa! Do like anywhere near Dubuque? I'm going to be attending college there soon and it'd be great if we could be friends. I love the movies Spirited Away, My neighbor Totoro, and Kiki's Delivery Service too! Have you seen Laputa; Castle in the Sky? It's a great movie! Ah, Japanese Anime is a wonderful thing... anyway, God Bless!

The Raven Queen; Hey, thanks for the kind review! You can relate? Woah, I hope you're ok and that things are going well for you! Thanks again!

Nina Bechtold; That's a sweet poem! Thanks for sharing it! JLYASDIPIO! God Bless!

Einalem; What made me change religions? Hmm... lots of things. The hypocrisy, bribery, the division between the sexes, the lies, the way asking certain questions about the religion is discouraged, the fact that when my questions did get answered, the answer wouldn't make any sense, I consider polygamy to be a big no-no, etc. Please, e-mail me if you want details.

God's girl; I'm glad you liked it and thank you for your prayers, My baptism was AWESOME! Thanks for the great review! God Bless!

Darkest Side Of Death; Thank you! By the way, I read the quotes on your page, I loved them!

DeLiRiOuS uNiCoRn; I was raised in the Mormon Church, I was in it for 18 years. I went to the firesides, Young Women meetings, Seminary, Camp, and participated in almost every Mormon event. I have been a Beehive, Mya Maid, Laurel and was in Relief Society when I made the switch. As a Beehive I was the Secretary, I had received two of the gold pendants and was going to be given a third one. I was baptized for the dead once, several missionaries even insisted that I was a missionary myself, they admired me. Everyone knew me in my old church, missionaries have told me that I was famous in that church. Being in the body of believers is very important to me, I did not name the church I converted to for safety reasons. Doing it to get a reaction from my father? I love my dad, I know my choice hurt him and I'm sorry for that. I almost changed my mind because I didn't want to hurt him. No, I did not do it for a reaction, I'm not that cruel. I'm sad for you, good luck kid, you need it far more than I do. 

Lis; Hi! Christianity is the belief that there is only one God, He sent His Son to die on the cross to pay for our sins, that Jesus is equally man and God, that the Bible alone is God's inspired Word. No, you weren't offensive... I joined Christianity, I'm attending a brethren bible chapel now. I'm curious about something you said though, you said that you have also felt at times like you were in a cage. Have you ever tried to find out why you felt that way, or do you just do your best to cope with it? Anyway, I wish you luck!

Aofyn; I'm glad that you weren't offended. However, what you said just contradicted what the bishop told me when he talked to me about what the consequences would be for me when I switched to Christianity. He told me that if I switched my name would be removed from the book of life and I'd go to Hell. According to both him and my dad, I'm following the devil and will be joining him in Hell. My dad and I are getting along very well now, and spiritually I've never been happier. Thanks for your time and good luck!

My e-mail address is angel_of_sorrows@hotmail.com. If you have any questions please e-mail them to me as I wont answer on the review board. Thank you for reading!


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